Means for starting gas-engines.



PATENTED JULY l1, 1905z w. J. EEEL. MEANS EOE SEAEEEEG GES ENGINES.

APELIOATION FILED MAR.11,1904.

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W. J. BELL. MEANS EUR STARTING GAS ENGINES.

' APPLICATION P ILED MAE. 11, 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT EEicE.

WALTER J. BELL, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO SAMUEL L. KISTLER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS FOR STARTING GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,275, dated J' uly 11, 1905.

Application filed March 1li, 1904. Serial No. 197,688.

To all whom it may concern:v

Be it known that I, WALTER J. BELL, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Starting Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to means to start gasolene-engines used on automobiles owing to the frequency with which these engines are started and stopped, and it therefore becomes necessary to provide ready and easy means to start these engines without getting out of the automobile.

The objects of my invention are to over come the difliculty of starting the engines and to provide means to put the engine into motion without alighting from the seat of the automobile. I accomplish these objects by means of the mechanism described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a transverse section of my starting device, taken on line l 1 of Fig. 2, the left half of the figure being taken on line 1 running through the vertical center of the device and the right one-half of the ligure being taken on line l of Fig. 2. The View on both sides of Fig. l is taken looking in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. The lower half of Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l. The upper half of the figure from the center line is in elevation, except the casing, which is in central vertical section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the ratchet winding mechanism. Figs is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the pawl M and the spring-actuating mechanism in connection therewith, taken on line L 4c of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the internal ratchet of the clutch mechanism with the band-brake thereon, the front casing being removed therefrom.

In the drawings, A represents a central shaft, which may be an extension on the crankshaft of the engine, or, if more convenient, it may be an independent shaft workably connected with the crank-shaft by means of sprockets and a gear-chain; but for the purpose of this application we have assumed that the shaft A represents an extension of the crank-shaft of the engine. Around this extended shaft are disposed the various parts of my device. The sleeve B is loosely mounted on the shaft, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To this sleeve the inner end of the main driving-spring K is removably secured by the screw I), (shown in Fig. 1,) the outer end of this spring being secured to the stud J, which is rigidly secured to the disk L.

Keyed on the main shaft is the eccentric Gr, surrounding which is the eccentric-strap H, carrying arm I-I, the outer end of which is pivotally connected with the long arm of the bell-crank lever I. This bell-crank lever is pivotally mounted on the stud L', rigidly affixed to the disk L, and has a swinging movement thereon occasioned by the rotation of the eccentric G. On the outer end of the lesser arm I of the bell-crank lever is pivotally secured the pawl M. This pawl is bifurcated at its pivoted end. The bifurcated members M extend one on each side of the lesser arm I/ of the bell-crank lever, as more particularly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the pintle-bolt O extending therethrough and through the outer end of the lesser arm I. Carried on the projecting end of these bifurcations is a pin S, upon which-is pivotally mounted the springholding rod R. The outer end of this rod extends through an opening in the free end of the yoke I), the bifurcated ends of the yoke being pivoted on the pintle-bolt O, as shown in Fig. 4. Surrounding the rod R and between the yoke P and the rod S is mounted the spiral spring Q. This spring is compressed between the parts stated and exerts an outward impulse, the purposes of which is to snap the pawl M quickly into and out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth Z, and thereby prevent any contact of the pawl with the ratchet-teeth except at such times as it is desired that the pawl should engage them.

Projecting outwardly from the free end of the yoke P are two spring-engagingstuds T, which pass therefrom one on each side of the mainspring K, (more particularly shown inv Figs. 3 and 4.) The movement of the spring of the spring K is wound up, as hereinafter explained, the portion of the spring between these studs will be thrown into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which position the impulse of the springQ will besuch as to throw the pawl M instantly out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth and into the `position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, in which position the pawl will be free of the casing containing the ratchet-teeth and will permit the free movement thereof. Pivotally mounted on the disk L is the pawl N. A spring' N being also mounted on the disk L, bears against this pawl and keeps the same springpressed against the ratchet-teeth. rIhe joint action of these two pawls on the ratchet-teeth Z will operate to cause the ratchet to move one tooth on every revolution of the crankshaft, whereby but little motive force will be expended in winding up the mainspring.

In front of the main casing and rigidly mounted on the sleeve B is the cup-shaped disk E, bearing on its inner periphery ratchetengaging teeth E', the center of the cu p-shaped disk being reinforced with the hub E. On

the outer end of the crank-shaft A is keyed the pawl-carrying arm F', to the outer end of which is pivoted the pawl F, spring-pressed into engagement with the ratchet-teeth, as shown in Fig. 5, by the spring f. Around the periphery of this cup-shaped ratchet-disk is mounted the band-brake D, one end of which is secured to a stationary stud X on the frame of the machine, the other end being connected with operative means (not shown) to set or release the same from the seat of the automobile. y

Now when it is desired to start an automobile provided with my engine-starting device, (the mainspring being' wound up and the pawl M being in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and the band-brake D being set,) the band-brake will be released, the mainspring K will then immediately cause the crank-shaft of the engine to rotate and start the engine, the spring will continue to run until the spring runs into the expanded position, (shown in full lines in Fig. 1,) when the pawl will be again thrown into engagement with the ratchetteeth, and the mainspring will be again wound up, and when that portion of mainspring between the studs T has assumed the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l the pawl will be snapped out of engagement with the ratchetteeth, as shown in dotted lines, and the engine The band-brake D can be operated from the seat of the automobile by connecting the same with a foot pedal or lever within reach of the chauffeur, and thereby dispense with the necessity of alighting to start the engine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described means to start an engine comprlsmg an extension on the crankshaft of the engine; a cylindrical case mounted thereon, ratchet-teeth on the inner periphery of the case; a disk in said case rotatively mounted therein coaXially with said shaft; a mainspring `encircling said shaft and secured at its outer end. to said disk; means whereby the spring may turn the shaft; an eccentric on said shaft; a ratchet-pawl pivoted on the disk and arranged to engage said ratchet-teeth and permit the rotary motion of the disk in one direction only; a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted on the disk; a pawl mounted on the outer arm of the bell-crank lever, the inner arm of the bell-crank lever being workably secured "to the eccentric on said shaft; and means substantially as herein shown and described to instantly snap the pawl pivoted on the bell-crank lever into and out of engagement with said ratchet-teeth.

2. In an engine-starting device of the character herein described the combination with a main power-spring and means whereby it may turn the engine-shaft to start the same, of the herein-described means to wind the spring up one ratchet-tooth on each revolution of the crank shaft; comprising a ratchet toothed case, a disk concentrically mounted on said shaft, and having pivoted thereon the pawl N arranged to be held in spring-pressed engagement with the ratchet-teeth, the outer end of the mainspring being connected to the outer edge of the disk; a bell-crank lever pivotally 'mounted on said disk, the inner arm thereof workably secured to an eccentric on said shaft, the outer arm carrying a pawl adapted to be thrown into and out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a gas-engine-starting device of the character herein described a main operatingspring workably secured to the crank-shaft of the engine and arranged to be Wound up thereon and an eccentric mounted on said shaft and IOO IIO

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provided with an eccentric-strap carrying an arm projecting therefrom to which is pivotally secured one member of a bell-crank lever, the said bell-crank lever pivotally mounted on a disk revoluble on said shaft, the ratchettoothed case-pawi M engaging the ratchet and pivotally mounted on the lesser arm I" of the bell-crank lever, the said pawl having on one end a tooth-engaging point and carrying on the other end a spring-holding rod R; a coiled spring on said rod, the said spring being compressed, its inner end pressed against the rod S and its outer end pressed against the yoke I), the yoke I) pivotally mounted on the lesser arm of the bell-crank lever coaxially with the pawl M, the said yoke carrying on its outer end spring-engaging lugs T, adapted to pass one on each side of the mainspring substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The herein-described means to start a gasengine such as described herein comprising an extension on the crank-shaftVa sleeve Workably mounted thereon; a mainspring secured to said sleeve; a ratchet-carrying disk revolubly mounted on the crank-shaft, the outer end of the mainspring being secured to a stud thereon, the said disk being provided With a ratchet-securing stud on the periphery thereof, a ratchet on said stud provided with means to hold the ratchet in engagement With ratchetteeth on the inner periphery of the casing of the device; a crank-lever rotatively mounted on said disk; one of the arms of said cranklever being pivotally connected With an eccentric-arm; an eccentric-arm mounted on an eccentric on the crank-shaft; an eccentric on the crank-shaft adapted to impart a reciprocating motion to the bell-crank lever on the rotation of the crank-shaft; a ratchet on the outer end of the crank-lever adapted to engage the ratchet-teeth; and means to holdl the pawl in engagement With the ratchet-teeth all in combination substantially as shown.

5. In a device to start an engine ofthe character herein described comprising a mainspring on the crank-shaft thereof, the inner end secrank-shaft, the outer end of the spring secured to the periphery of a disk rotatably mounted on said shaft, a disk rotatable thereon, ratchet mechanism mounted on said disk and arranged to be thrown in and out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth on the casing of the device; the casing having ratchet-teeth on the inner periphery thereof; an eccentric on the crank-shaft carrying an eccentric-arm pivotally connected with the inner member of a crank-lever pivoted on the disk, the cranklever carrying on its outer arm a tooth-engaging paWl.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 5th day of March, 19M.

WALTER J BELL.

Witnesses:

HENRY T. HAZARD, Gr. E. HAR'PHAM.

lcured to a sleeve rotatably mounted on the 

